Don't die on me
by KatBauer
Summary: That one time Ward's hero complex got him stabbed, Skye called him an idiot and then he almost dies on her after she kissed him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This was supposed to be part of my "Five times" fanfic, but it got so out of control that I had to post it separately. It will be a three chapter story because ain't nobody got time for more. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the angst. :)

**Disclaimer:** All mistakes are mine, characters are not (sadly). 

* * *

"Don't you dare die on me, Ward," Skye murmurs against Ward's ear.

She's not sure he can hear her, but she's not giving up. Not yet. Not ever.

She looks around, desperately trying to find a way out, but with Ward injured and almost unconscious, there's not much she can do, even if she did find a way out of the tunnels.

Why, _why_ did they have to take this mission? She's not good at going undercover, everyone knows that. _Ward_ knows that.

He should've known better. _She_ should've known better.

Now there's blood all over him, so much blood, she's starting to feel the panic rise in her chest.

"Come on, Ward. I can't do this by myself, I need you."

Skye pats Ward's face and he lets out a soft groan as he weakly tries to swat her hand away.

"I've been stabbed, I'm bleeding half to death, and you're slapping me?"

Skye lets out a nervous giggle, relief washing over her when she hears his voice.

"Sorry, you scared the crap outta me. I thought I'd lost you."

Her voice is nothing but a whisper, and for a second, she thinks he hasn't heard her. Until Ward's hand finds hers and he laces their fingers together.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Is that a threat?" Skye chuckles, trying to lighten up the mood with a lame attempt at a joke.

But Ward can see right through her, and so he smiles at her and places their intertwined hands on his chest, right above his heart.

Skye bites her lip, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she holds on to Ward's hand, terrified that if she lets go even for just a second, he will slip away from her.

"A promise," he finally answers, and Skye can feel him fading away into unconsciousness again, the loss of blood taking its toll on him.

"Don't you dare. I swear, Ward, if you break your promise..." Skye chokes back a sob that's threatening to wreck her, and gently shakes Ward in an effort to keep him awake.

"I can't do it without you. I need my S.O." There's a moment of silence as Skye takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself and to keep her panic under control. Now is not the time to lose it.

"Not my supervising officer...," she mumbles, her voice at the verge of cracking. She leans down and presses her lips against Ward's ear once again.

"My other half."

"Took you long enough." Ward's voice, though considerably weak, echoes through the dark, silent tunnel they're trapped in, and Skye almost jumps, startled.

"Weren't you supposed to be unconscious?" she scoffs, and she swears she's never felt more exposed, more vulnerable than in this very moment.

Ward chuckles and instantly starts to cough, almost giving Skye a panic attack, so she tries to move his heavy body into a more comfortable position.

She manages to lift him just enough so his head is now resting against her chest, but when she tries to free her hand from Ward's grasp, he lets out an uncharacteristic whimper, and holds on to it even tighter.

"So, what was that about me being your other half?" he asks, and even though Skye can't see very well because it's so damn dark, she still _knows_ he's probably smirking.

So she tries to come up with a joke, a witty retort, _anything_, really, that could get her out of this sticky situation she's gotten herself into, but she has nothing.

"Skye? Are you okay?"

The concern in Ward's voice is both evident and heart wrenching, and suddenly Skye can't take it anymore.

"You are an idiot, Ward," she says with anger, and Ward blinks in surprise because that was so not where he thought their conversation was going.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Did you even think for a second what would happen to the team if you died? Because _we are a team_, Ward, we don't fly solo and we sure as hell don't let knives rip our guts out because of a stupid hero complex that could cost you your life!"

"Skye..."

"Shut up. If you weren't about to die on me, I would kill you myself."

"_Skye_..."

"If we both make it out of here alive, I'm telling Coulson. And May, so she can kick your ass. And I'm-"

"I love you, Skye."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed my story and followed/favorited it. It is much appreciated it. Hopefully, you won't hate me (so much) after reading this chapter. But stick around, I promise things will get better! :)

* * *

Ward's words effectively manage to shut her up, and so Skye is stunned into silence, the only sound coming from her being her now erratic breathing.

Even in the darkness, she can still feel Ward's eyes fixed on her, and she knows he's waiting.

Waiting for an answer. Waiting for _her_.

And she also knows that they are running out of time, and that if the cavalry doesn't come to their rescue soon, one of them won't make it out of the tunnels alive.

"Skye...?" Ward tries again, her uncharacteristic silence worrying him more than his own bleeding wound.

And suddenly she's moving, and Ward thinks that this is it, this is how he screwed things up between them, and he braces himself for whatever it is that will happen next.

"You suck," she whispers, and she is now so close that he can feel her warm breath ghosting across his lips, her hair tickling his face as she finally closes the distance between them and presses her lips against his.

The kiss is short and sweet and full of unspoken promises, something that Ward welcomes with all his heart.

He lifts his free hand, the one that's not laced with Skye's, and brushes her hair out of her face, tucking the loose strands behind her ear in a gesture that feels so intimate and yet so natural, that Skye can only smile at him.

"Now explain to me, why do I- Why do I suck, exactly?" he asks, his voice strained as he tries to stay conscious.

"You can't tell me you love me when you're bleeding to death!" she finally blurts out, and even though she tries to sound angry, she fails miserably when her voice cracks on the last word and tears begin to roll down her cheeks.

"Hey, listen to me," Ward's hand moves to cup her face, pulling her close again while his thumb tenderly wipes her tears away. "No one's dying today, okay? And that, too, is a promise."

Skye nods, not trusting herself the enough to speak, so instead she simply kisses his forehead, earning a soft, weak chuckle from him.

As they lie there, Skye's arm firmly wrapped around Ward's middle and holding him protectively against her body, time seems to have slowed down, and Skye is not sure if it's been minutes, hours or days since they ended up trapped in the tunnels.

Ward's face is now hidden against her neck, but his hand is still clutching Skye's, their fingers laced together and resting on his chest.

It's too dark to see much of anything, but the feeling of Ward's heart beating under her palm and his steady, albeit weak, breathing against her skin helps reassure Skye that there's still hope.

"Ward?" she whispers, realizing that it's been too long since the last time he's said anything. When she gets no answer, she gently nudges him with the tip of her nose. "Grant? Come on, nap time's over."

When Skye's met with nothing but silence again, terror creeps over her and her heart begins to race wildly in her chest as she tries to shake Ward awake.

"You _promised_," she pleads, her voice laced with fear and desperation.

Skye doesn't know if it's been minutes, hours or days. All she can do is pray to whatever god is out there, that it's not too late.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Third and last chapter is finally done! Once again, thank you to all of you who have been so lovely and kind with your comments and follows. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. :)

And in case anyone's curious, the inspiration for this story came from a fanart called **"Ward and Skye"** done by the talented **astridv**. Look it up on deviantart to see it!

* * *

At the sound of footsteps quickly approaching, Skye lifts her head and unconsciously tightens her grip around Ward's body. There's not much she can do, she realizes, but if she's going to die today, then she will die fighting.

"Skye?! Ward?!"

The familiar voice echoes through the tunnel and Skye is so relieved when she recognizes it as May's, that she almost drops Ward to the ground.

"We're here!" she yells back, her voice filled with desperation as she glances down at Ward, who is still unconscious in her arms.

"Are you hurt? Can you get up?" May asks when she finally spots them on the floor, and Skye winces when about half a dozen flashlights are pointed at her.

Skye shakes her head no and once again, looks down at Ward. May quickly assess the situation and without further questions, she turns to the rest of the team, gesturing towards Ward and Skye.

"We got one man down, the girl is fine. We need to get them out of here _now_." Her voice is stern as she gives orders, and the people around her hurry to follow her instructions.

They cautiously approach Skye, but when they try to take Ward away from her, she lets out a soft whimper and refuses to let go.

Turning back to Skye when she hears her, May crouches down next to her and places a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Let go, Skye. He'll be fine."

Skye stares straight into May's eyes for a long moment and what she sees in them makes her nod, and slowly release her grip on Ward.

"Good girl," May reassures her, and signals the men to proceed.

* * *

When Ward wakes up, he's instantly very aware of two things. First, there's the pain. It's not unbearable, but it's enough to make him wince and contort his face in discomfort.

The second feeling is entirely different. It's something warm and kind of heavy, that is currently pinning his left arm against the mattress. And he also discovers that he can't move his hand.

He wills his eyes open and finds Skye, completely asleep with her head resting on his arm and her fingers laced with his.

Just as they were before he...

_Crap._

He shifts abruptly and Skye is startled awake, her head snapping up and her hand gripping Ward's with unusual strength.

When her eyes settle on Ward's face and she realizes that he's finally awake, she freezes, all the emotions of that day rushing back to her in an instant.

There's a brief pause, and then she launches herself into his chest, and it's not until she hears a soft "_ouch_" that she remembers he's been wounded and that she needs to be careful.

"Sorry," she mumbles, but as she tries to pull away, Ward's arm wraps around her waist, effectively keeping her in place.

She looks up and offers him a shy smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been stabbed," he frowns. "Repeatedly."

Skye can't help the small chuckle that escapes her, and she carefully moves so she is now curled up against his side on the small hospital bed.

"It was just _once_, Ward," she scoffs, and she tries her damnedest to be as serious as possible, but when he moves his hand to cup her face and his thumb tenderly caresses her cheek, a huge grin spreads across her face.

"You kept your promise," Skye then quietly says, leaning into Ward's touch, her fingers wrapping around his wrist.

"I told you no one was going to die today," he answers.

And when she lifts her gaze and their eyes meet, there's so much she would like to say, but now Skye knows that there will be plenty of time for that.

Because he's not going anywhere.

"I love you," she whispers, tilting her head up to kiss him.

And neither is she.


End file.
